Mistakes
by Darikiema
Summary: An argument between Zuko and Katara brings to light some things that need to be addressed. Things will change in their relationship, and it won't be easy.


_A/N: Wow, so another A:TLA Oneshot? In any case, there was always something bugging me about the way that Katara treated Zuko and how everyone seems to write him trying to win her forgiveness by begin and acting like a wimp. Well, no more! Here is my version of how one of their fights ought to have gone. Honestly, there were things that she did that she never had to account for. Stupid creators._

_Disclaimer: All rights reserved to the creators of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Trust me, if I owned it, it would be a Zutara show._

* * *

"_You're_ sorry?! What right do you have to be sorry?"she snarled bitterly, jabbing her finger into his broad chest and pushing as hard as she could, heeding her own pain no mind. He didn't even wince. He just continued to stare down his nose at her. He had grown a few inches since their time spent in the catacombs, and his eyes held the same weary expression as before. Somehow though, they had hardened. Like the furious fire inside them had stilled and gone cold. His golden eyes held no more life to them than the amber orbs of his sister. Only, where her's were filled with malice, his were filled with pain.

"I'm not going to tell you again, Katara. I'm sorry, and if you're unwilling to listen to me and give me a way to prove it to you, that is all I can do. If you don't want to accept it and continue to hate me for my mistakes in the past, that is your problem. As I have said, I can't do anything else unless you give me a chance. But, you won't, so just deal with it and leave me alone. As for Aang's training, you are hereby prohibited from observing. I'm trying to prepare Aang for the comet and his mission to defeat the Fire Lord, so if you can't deal with it, then go cry about it somewhere else. Standing there and accusing me of trying to kill him is just making you look all the more the fool." Had he continued to stand in front of her, he would have seen her gaping mouth and eyes sparkling with fury and embarrassment.

"Why you-! I am not- you arrogant- grah!" She roared, throwing her fists down to her sides in fury. The water of the fountain shook and burst from the stone ledge with her rage. She didn't even noticed that she had called it to her hands until it raced past her and towards the offending firebender's head and he toppled over, drenched.

"Oh yeah! Real mature, Sweetness!" Toph's brazen remark echoed through the training grounds. Katara ignored her, instead facing the firebender to face whatever wrath she had incurred. To face what she knew he was. She waited, hands and body in a ready stance to bend.

But, whatever she anticipated from him, he didn't seem to be willing to act out. Instead of swirling around, trails of bright red and orange heat following in his wake, he just stood and shook himself. Still facing away from her, he shook his head from side to side and wiped his hands along his face. Water sprayed in a large arch as it was sent flying free from his long hair, steam rising from his skin and cloths. An obvious sign that he was a powerful bender. One who was, clearly, ignoring her.

And that only infuriated her more.

"Guys!" Aang called, raising his hands up in a placating manner as he stepped between them. One hand to each of his friends as he anticipated any sort of reaction from them. Katara merely huffed, sinking deeper into her stance, eyes trained on the former prince.

"Enough of this. The two of you have been fighting since Zuko got here. I don't know what happened between the two of you, but whatever it is-"

"You can just stay out of it," Zuko snarled, turning to face the waterbender once more, his cold eyes ablaze with frustration. Or was it something else?

"But-!"

"No, Aang. Katara and I have to deal with this ourselves. Since she is too pig-sheep headed to do anything but trust her own betrayed heart and not the reassurances of her good friends- her family!- she obviously isn't going to listen to anything else you have to say. Just leave it alone."

"Don't talk to him like that!"

"I'll talk to my student any way I deem necessary!" Zuko roared, shimmers of heat floating off his body in waves, the breeze washing them over the airbender and waterbender.

"Stop it!" Aang shouted, his pleas feeble in the wake of the pissed off prince and mutually furious tribeswoman.

"And, I am not being pig-sheep headed! I am just being realistic and prepared for when you turn on us again."

"Don't you mean, turn on you?" Toph's snide comment sounded from where she was sitting beside Sokka, Suki and the others who had come to watch. Katara bit her tongue to keep from snapping back. No use upsetting more than the jerk who deserved it.

"Even if I did turn on you, which I'm not denying, what makes you think that I would ever do it again?"

"You did it once, you'll do it again. It's your nature to want the easy way out. That's why you left and joined your sister under Ba Sing Se rather than do the right thing then and join us," she growled in return. Zuko froze; a light sparked behind his eyes as realization washed over him. Something she had said had triggered it, but she couldn't think of what it was.

"Why weren't you surprised?"

"What?" she asked, lowering her arms and relaxing from her stance to gaze bemusedly at him.

"When I was thrown into the hole with you, why weren't you surprised?"

"What are you talking about? Of course I was surprised to find that you were the one thrown in there with me!" She screeched indignantly.

"Yes. You were surprised about that. But you weren't surprised to find out I was even _in_ Ba Sing Se. You weren't surprised to find that I was in the very city my uncle spent two years trying to break into and failed! You didn't even ask why I was in a tea servers outfit. All you asked was if I was after the Avatar when it was painfully obvious that, at that moment, I was _not_ in league with Azula! All you even cared about was why I would show up and destroy your life and even had the nerve to accuse me of something that happened to you when I was obviously _a child_! Tell me, Katara, why didn't you care if I, a firebender and Fire Nation Royalty, was in the 'Impenetrable City'?" Zuko's voice was low, but harsh as he made his case. The shimmering waves of heat only intensified as he ran though the information, the facts. The waves manifested into actual flames at the palms of his hands, licking their way up his bare arms until the most wild of them reached his shoulders and waved about his head with his black hair. Had anyone not known better, they may have accused him of some sort of magic.

"I- I-" she began, but faltered, running through the events of that day prior to her capture. She looked back and thought about what he said. Why hadn't she been surprised?

By the Spirits! she thought suddenly, clasping her gaping mouth shut with her hand and squeezing her wide eyes shut. How could she have forgotten that? That she was the one to reveal to Azula that Zuko was even in the city. That she had been the one to jump to conclusions and run straight for someone to destroy Zuko's peace. _Oh Spirits, his face! He was actually smiling._

"I saw you," she whispered. By now, the others had made their way close to the three of them. But even that didn't help them hear what she had said. But, Zuko, he could see it on her face. In her reaction as she tried to hide it away from even herself; the way her face fell as she remembered what she had done.

"I saw you in Ba Sing Se. I can't believe I didn't remember," she said, louder this time. Her face flushed with shame when she realized she couldn't even look at him. "I saw you and I ran straight for Suki. Or at least I thought I was. Even if it was Suki, I was willing to just turn you over to them. You were so happy, you and your Uncle. I told her; I told Azula. La and Tui, what kind of person am I?" She finished to herself, wrapping her arms around herself as she sank to sit on her haunches.

No one moved as they processed what she had said. They all stood aside as they waited for Zuko to finish processing. He was shaking, his face covered by the long tendrils of his hair. Even the tongues of flame that consumed his arms seemed to quiver and shake with his anger as his lips curled back to bear his teeth in a feral snarl. A cruel growl echoed from deep inside his chest as he tried to calm himself.

"You think you have the right to berate me for taking sides with _my family_, when your selfish prejudices are the very reason my Uncle and I were found out in the first place? You think you have the right to feel betrayed when I chose _to go home_ instead of following your merry band of traitors to _my_ nation when you are the reason I was put in that damned hole to begin with?! You think you have the right to make me feel inferior because I had a moment of weakness and chose wrong when you're the reason why I was even put in that position? Do you even know why we were in Ba Sing Se?! We were being hunted by Azula even more vehemently than you and your stupid group was! And you think I would give up a opportunity to go home when given the chance? You really think I wanted to kill Aang?! You're even stupider than I thought you were!" He roared, hurt and betrayal flickering in his golden eyes, finally alive and roaring with his familiar fire. Steam and smoke escaping from his nostrils and behind his teeth. His scar livid against the skin of his face, pale white despite his anger, the scorching flames of his fury burning away at his hair and singing his pants. All in all giving him the appearance of a dragon. Everyone around him shrunk back-even Toph could sense the angry he was trying desperately to contain- and watched as Katara quivered in place.

"Zuko, I'm-"

"No!" he roared, a jet of flame slashing towards the ground from his fingertips as he swiped across his front to throw back the apology. "I told you I was sorry, but you threw it back in my face! If you even so much as dare try and apologize to me now that I know the truth, I won't accept it. You have to grow up and get over yourself first! Stop being a child, Katara and I may consider accepting yours. But until then," he snarled lowly, taking just one, menacing step forward to make his point. "Don't you dare think I will forgive you for ruining Uncle's long deserved peace and happiness."

Then he was gone. Turned and stalking off, the doors in his eyes shut to anything she could or would say. Shell shocked, Katara remained frozen in place, gaping at the spot where he had disappeared from.

"Wow. I can't even see and Sparky scared me. And that's really saying something if I say it," Toph whispered as she shuffled her feet, milky eyes staring off in the direction the firebender stalked off too. Katara said and did nothing more than swallow the hard lump down from the back of her throat.

"Did you really turn them in?" Katara winced at her father's sad, disappointed voice. She closed her eyes and took a ragged breath.

"How was I supposed to know that they were happy? How was I supposed to know that they were just as much on the run as we were? That they were worse off than us? How was- how could I…" she trailed off, choking back a sob. This wasn't her fault; she couldn't have known that he had given up his quest. That he was finally happy. He had been her enemy for so long that she didn't know how to think of him as anything else. She didn't know how to see him as more than the boy who was trying to destroy the world's last hope at peace.

_Am I still like that?_ she silently wondered. _Am I really so quick to judge that I can't see he really has changed? That he cares more about his uncle than himself?_

"You're right, Katara. You couldn't have known. But now you have to fix this," Aang's normally bubbly, now stern, voice floated around her, making her wince.

"Leave her alone, Aang. She doesn't need some stupid Air Nomad Monk-y stuff," Sokka cut in.

"It's not stupid! The monks were really-"

"Yeah, yeah, Aang. They were really wise. We get it. But, I'm her brother and you don't know her like I do. So just leave us alone." Katara almost laughed at Aang's spluttering. Sokka never ordered him around like that. Well he did, but it was never like that. Never so _belittling_. She barely registered that her brother had wrapped his arms around her shoulders and begun to lead her away from the training grounds. Spirits, she loved that about her brother. He was always ready at her defense.

* * *

When they were a good distance away from everyone and had found a nice, secluded place to sit and talk, Katara finally realized just how much she was hurting from the whole ordeal. She couldn't stop the tears streaming down her cheeks, she didn't care or even notice them. She just wanted to be alone with her misery. But, boy, did it feel good to have her brother there with her. To hold her close and tell her it was going to be all right and that she was safe. To allow her to shed her motherly role and just be Katara, his little sister.

"I didn't know! I can't believe I didn't even think!" she sobbed, holding his tunic tight in her grasp.

"I believe you, sis. I believe you," he whispered, drawing soft patterns of comfort into her back. "But, think about it Katara: do you really think that he would have been so ready to open up to you if he had been there to trap Aang? Did you really think it would have been so easy for him to get inside Ba Sing Se? At least, unnoticed? I mean, this is Zuko, we're talking about here. He wasn't really good at subtle. Er, well maybe he was, if this Blue Spirit was really as good as Aang said," he muttered, trailing off as he scratched his chin in thought. Katara only snorted in response and buried her head further into his shirt.

"But that's beside the point," he continued. What is important is that no one in that city talked about the war- some didn't even know there was one!"- so why would news of the Avatar being there even manage to get out? We hadn't seen him in months when he just showed up out of nowhere. We used to see him all the time and then after the siege of the north, he just up and vanished? Fishy: yes. But that doesn't mean that he knew anything about where we were. If anything, he could have found any one of those flyers we put up everywhere and yet he never came after us. Why do you think that was?"

"Yes, Sokka! I get it! I made a mistake, I didn't think anything through and it all ended up badly! It's all my fault, is that what you want to hear?" She fumed, tearing out of his grasp. Hot tears were still rolling down her cheeks as he placed a hand on her shoulder.  
"No, Katara. It isn't. You both made bad decisions and now you are both paying for it. He because you won't trust him; you because you realize that you caused his hand to be forced into making such a dumb choice."

She just huffed, wrapping her arms around herself again and turning so she was sitting facing away from him, breaking his hold on her. Behind her, she could hear him sigh.

"Why don't you think about this another way? Instead of thinking about him betraying the trust you offered him, think of it as honoring the trust he had in his family. Were we in his position, would you have made a different choice?"

"That's completely different- totally beside the point!" she cried indignantly, waving her arms around in exasperation as she turned to glare at him.

"I don't think it is. Think about it, Katara. When I banished Aang from our village, you said you were willing to leave and go with him, but in the end you couldn't do it. Do you really think that the situations were any different? You couldn't choose a stranger over your family, and neither could he. Granted his family is crazy and trying to destroy the world, but in that moment, it didn't matter. Family to us is pretty much the same to them. Maybe for different reasons, but it is still based on love and loyalty. Being angry at him for choosing to side with his sister is the same as being angry at me for choosing the tribe over Aang."

Katara watched the steel in her brother's eyes slowly fade to sympathy as he himself watched the understanding dawn on her. Slowly, she lowered her eyes and wrapped herself up in her arms again. He was right. How could he be right and still be such an idiot? She didn't think she would ever find out. Not that it mattered, she had other things to worry about, other troubles that had yet to be worked out. She gratefully accepted his embrace as she processed what he had said.

"Yeah," she finally murmured, sniffing back the last of her tears. "You're right."

"I know," he said, triumphant and gloating Sokka trumping big brother Sokka. Katara rolled her eyes before pegging him with a sharp warning glare. "But in all seriousness, I'm glad you understand." She responded with a small, slow nod as she rested her head on his shoulder again. He gently placed his chin against the top of her head as he held her close.

After a few moments of companionable silence, Sokka shifted to look down at his baby sister's face.

"So," he said carefully, wiping the drying tear trails from her tanned skin. "How are you going to fix this?" Katara shifted uncomfortably for a moment, thinking over her answer.

"I guess I should try and talk to him. Actually talk to him!" she defended at her brother's sharp eyes. "I think I've been too blind by what he once was that I can't see who he really is. I think, with what you've told me, I can see what motivated him to do what he did. I think I really have been a big snow-bull who won't listen to reason. Thanks, Sokka," she finished quietly, taking the male in her arms tight.

"Any time, Sis. But, maybe you should keep things like this to a minimum," he teased, prodding her side gently. She squirmed away from his finger, a tiny smile gracing her lips.

"I'll do my best," she murmured softly. "I think I'll let him cool off for a bit first."

"Yeah, that's probably for the best," he conceded, beginning to rock them gently. "I think you need a bit more time to think about what you're going to say to him anyway. Just sit here and think about it for now. I'll get Suki to help make dinner. So, no pressure."

"Yeah, that sounds good. Just, make sure she does most of the cooking. We don't want another one of your creations blowing up in people's faces."

"Hey! That only happened one time," he defended indignantly, waggling his finger in front of her face.

"Only because Gran Gran forbade you from ever cooking again," Katara teased, smacking the offending finger from her face and prodding her own into his retreating side. He just rolled his eyes and grumbled to himself as he placed a gentle kiss to the top of her head and heading off towards the rest of the group. Presumably to do some damage control. She could only imagine how everyone was taking her little meltdown and lapse of judgment.

Then again, she really didn't want to think about it. It just made the fact of what she had done more… real.

_How could I have been so stupid?! _she silently scolded. And, really, she he been. Assuming that just because he was in the city, that he had been thrown into that hole, he was after Aang. And to think, she had yelled at him for siding with his family when she would have- had done the exact same thing!

But he just made her so mad! She had given him that chance, offered him her friendship, and he just threw it right in her face. How could he be so callous and rude? But, like Sokka had said, to him, there really wasn't a choice. They weren't close, they weren't friends, they weren't even lovers! Not, that she wanted that! Right? He was pretty good look, especially without his shirt on. He definitely well built, and with the way his hair fell in his face now. She could almost bet he was a pretty good kisser-

Katara shook herself. She didn't need to be thinking those dumb things. Not now. They were in the middle of a war. Even if Sokka and Suki could get together, she did not have the time to be thinking about relationships. Not of that kind. She was too busy taking care of the rest of her family. They depended on her and she needed to take care of them even more. She needed that stability, that responsibility.

Well, Zuko didn't. He had survived pretty much without a mother for the last- who knows how long?! With only his Uncle to guide him instead of his father. His uncle that she had been the cause of his imprisonment, by his own brother.

_Sheesh, it's amazing he's not even more messed up? What, with the way his sister turned out, he ought to be really terrible. But, he's not._

She released an explosive sigh, burying her head in her arms and between her knees. She felt a bit queasy, a pain starting in her chest. She felt terrible and had no idea what to do or where to start if she were to talk to Zuko. She knew they couldn't just go back to their routines and pretend their revelations hadn't happened. But, did she have to the courage to face him just yet?

Granted he made a really big mistake, but so had she. They had both been in the wrong. But they were just kids! What could they really expect from each other? Almost as thought a light had gone off, Katara realized that they were just kids. They didn't know any better and couldn't expect each other to act any better. Unfortunately, that didn't really help her with resolving the situation.

_Zuko was- is- so lost. I guess I never really thought about it like that, she realized, disappointed in herself. I suppose that I need to talk to Zuko about what to do next. I'm ready to put all of this behind us. I think we both need that,_ she resolved quietly, resolutely, while she stood.

"Later," she mumbled, hurriedly sitting back down on the fallen pillar Sokka had seated her on. They needed to talk, but she didn't think she had the courage to face him just yet. To face any of them yet. She bit her lip, rearranging herself to lean against the other half of the pillar that still stood.

From her vantage point, she could see the streaking red and gold of the setting sun, the orange disk descending to the depths of the horizon. It was truly beautiful. It reminded her so much of Zuko. The sun. It was harsh and hot, unforgiving and constant. But, it was warm, dependable and necessary, bright and calm. Everything it was, Zuko was.

_Maybe _that's_ what it means to be a firebender. To be like the sun,_ she thought wistfully. There was still a good hour left of sun in the sky, causing Katara to wonder just how long she had been sitting there thinking. Seeing as the sun had still been high in the sky during their fight. Dinner would probably be in a bit. Normally, she would have started at least an hour ago, allowing Zuko to start making his tea for everybody once she had finished with the fire. Not that he couldn't just make his own. Or use his hands. Though, apparently, Uncle Iroh thought that was shameful towards tea. She snorted derisively at the notion. Zuko had shown his own contempt for the idea, but had continued to make the brew the way his uncle had taught him.

She wondered what everyone would be having, since she wasn't making them dinner. Would they like Suki's food better? She could almost smell an enticing aroma coming from the direction of the main gathering space they used. But she was being silly: she was quite a walk away from there. Surely any and all smells from there wouldn't manage to waft all the way over to her? Unless Aang was doing it to try and get her to come back. She wouldn't put it past him. That kid had one hell of a crush.

"Hey."

Katara shrieked, nearly jumping out of her skin as she furiously turned towards the speaker, actually succeeding in tumbling over the side of the pillar opposite the speaker. She gasped, having taken a very sharp rock to her hip in her tumble. When she opened her eyes, she saw who had snuck up on her. She resisted rolling her eyes at his confused (if not very amused) expression. Instead, she allowed herself to wince.

"Are you ok?" Zuko asked stiffly. Good, he felt bad about startling her.

"Not really," she grumbled, debating the best way to get out of the niche she had found herself in. After a second of grappling with the pillar, she heard a small clink of bowls being set aside by Zuko- well that explained the smell of food- and saw his hand extended in front of her face. After a second of internal debating, spent worrying a split in her lip, she took it. She was only mildly surprised when he lifted her all the way out of the hole and onto the pillar once more with minimal effort.

_Stupid boys. Always have to make everything look so damn easy, she grumbled to herself._

"Ow," she hissed, rubbing the definite bruise on her hip. "You scared me."

"I got that," he grumbled, sitting down and passing her a bowl. "Sorry," he mumbled quietly a minute later.

"No, I really should be used to your, ugh… nonexistent footsteps," she teased, if only just the slightest. Maybe what Aang had said about his Blue Spirit persona had been true. She peeked over at him through a veil of her hair and was pleasantly surprised to see the scowl he wore had softened.

"I didn't mean to startle you."

"I know. I guess I need to pay better attention to my surroundings," she admitted sheepishly.

An awkward silence settled over them as they began to eat. Each passing hesitant glances at one another. Katara sighed, eating the lightly browned dragon-goose over thick rice. It was a pretty simple dish, but it was well done, light and only mildly spiced to bring out the meat's flavor. Suki was a really good cook, and it was pretty obvious the the mutilated lumps of un-identifiable fruit had been cut by Sokka. She really hoped that it was still edible, seeing as Aang didn't eat meat and the fruit and rice was all he was gonna get. She really needed to find that boy something else to eat so he gained some muscles.

"It's a nice spot you've got here," Zuko said softly, cutting into her thoughts again. She barely managed to stop herself from starting when she heard his voice. Somehow the awkward silence had shifted to an almost comfortable quiet- how had that happened?

_Oh right, you were too busy thinking about stupid stuff to be paying attention to Zuko, _she quietly berated herself, mentally smacking her forehead with her palm.

"Ugh, yeah. Sokka lead me here, I wasn't really paying attention," was her soft reply as she sheepishly hid her face in the strands of hair before looking at Zuko. But, he wasn't paying attention to her. Instead, he was silently staring out into the space beyond the balcony: the sun setting slowly into the opposite side of the canyon. The mists that rose up from the bottom colored a deep orange and pale russet. The last of the fleeting yellow rays piercing the thick shroud as the clouds above painted the sky in bright reds and purples.

"I'm sorry." Both teenagers startled at the words, breathed softly from each of their mouths in the same moment. Their eyes meeting as they searched for the truth in the other's.

"I'm sorry I forgot," Katara finally whispered, breaking free from the firebender's impossibly intense gaze. She turned to stare down at her bowl as her fingers played with either themselves or the chopsticks. But, she could still feel his eyes boring into her, seeking for more, urging her to continue speaking.

"I realize now that it was stupid. I should have just heard you out. I meant couldn't just forget that you were in the city, but it wouldn't have hurt to talk to you. And I know I shouldn't be angry with you for taking your sister's side. I mean, you obviously regret it now. I would have done the same. Actually, I have done something similar. I was just so mad at you! You opened up and we shared that moment- and I really thought we could have been friends- and I was so sympathetic! But, you just threw back at me. I felt so hurt and worthless. Like you had stomped on me with your high and mighty royal shoes. I guess I didn't think that I could let you in- I really don't want you to hurt me likes that again. It really is stupid of me to have been so betrayed; we're just kids after all! It's not like you could have known Azula was gonna try and kill Aang. Just like I didn't know that she was pretending to be Suki, or that you and your uncle were happy…" she finally trailed off. Her eyes never left her fingers as she ranted.

"Boots, actually."

"Huh?" she asked unceremoniously, staring at the firebender's mildly amused expression with one of bemused incredulity.

"Fire Nation Royalty is required to wear either their armor or royal robes in public. Either way, boots are a part of out attire, not shoes," he replied nonchalantly. His expression only grew more humors as Katara spluttered.

"Of all the things I said, that's all you heard?!" She cried, punching him in the shoulder. He winced, rubbing the now dead spot on his arm.

"No!" he replied defensively. "I was trying to make a joke."

"And you couldn't think of a better time than right after I tried explaining why I was angry?"

"I thought it might make you feel better!"

"Well it didn't!" With that she turned away from him, huffing as she crossed her arms. She couldn't believe him! After all that, he was trying to crack jokes?! The nerve! See if she ever tries to apologize to that jerk ever again. She could already feel the hot tears of hurt pricking at the corners of her eyes and plugging up the back of her nose. That painful lump was really becoming tiresome.

"I forgive you."

"What?" She wanted to hit herself for croaking like that. Couldn't she have at least sounded angry?

"It is all my fault that you hate me and don't trust me. But, you really couldn't have known. Like you said, you saw my face as that of the enemies." She winced. She had said that, hadn't she? "I can't take back what I did, and I know that I shouldn't ask you to trust me like that again, but I just want it so bad. I was stupid and blind and I couldn't see that my family didn't want or love me- aside from my uncle. I've thought a lot about it; you really never were in the wrong. It was probably for the best that you did what you did. If you hadn't, I would never have figured out how twisted my father and sister are or how stupid and naïve I was. So, actually Katara, I want to thank you. Don't get me wrong, I'm still incredibly pissed that you fucked everything up for my uncle. But, if you hadn't, I wouldn't be here with all of you. I wouldn't have, well, friends."

_What?!_

"Really?" She choked, trying to swallow back the shock. She was facing him now, but he had his elbows on his knees as he stared at the floor. She couldn't see much of his face, but the tiny smile that graced the scarred side of his face gave her hope that she hadn't just imagined that.

"Really, Katara." With that, he raised his head to look at her. A frown creased his forehead and he timidly reached forward to touch her cheek. Just before he did, he paused and gazed into her eyes: asking for permission. She nodded a fraction, a small upturn of her lips as an answer. Gently he caressed her cheeks. Wiping away the tears that had leaked out. Embarrassed at not even realizing she and been crying, she could feel her cheeks blooming red and she averted her gaze. _Stupid!_

"Sorry," he murmured, pulling away.

"No, it's ok. I just didn't notice I was crying again."

"Again?"

She flushed again. _Damn him and his perception._

"Yes. I was pretty upset with myself for being so stupid. For hurting you so bad," she whispered. But, she knew he heard her. Because, after stiffening for a second, he pulled her into an embrace, making her jump. But, she didn't pull away. In fact, it felt pretty good to be in his arms. He was so warm and strong. Despite his body being so well built and hard, his muscles were kind of soft and gave easily. She allowed herself to mold into the comfort he was offering. He wasn't very good with words, but his instincts seemed to be what guided him in soothing her.

"I hate to say it, but I'm glad it hurt you. I know it's terrible, but it makes me feel better knowing that you really care. I mean of course you care about the others, but I couldn't be too sure about myself," he muttered sheepishly, running one of his big strong hands along her arms. Raising the hairs and forming goosebumps. Surprisingly, she kind of liked it.

"Of course I care! I was just so angry, and well, terrified that I didn't know how to show it. I'm so, so sorry for yelling at you and being so mean. I promise to be more understanding. To be nicer."

"Thank you, Katara. But, I don't want you to just be nice to me. I want you to trust me again. Trust that I won't kill Aang or turn all of you in to my father. That I really am sorry for stomping on you with my big royal shoes"

"Was that another joke?" She asked, pulling away from him enough to offer a raised eyebrow and tiny smirk.

"Ugh, yeah. Sorry," he blushed, rubbing the back of his neck. Damn he was cute when he did that.

"It was actually kind of funny," she smiled, eyes twinkling at the sight of hope in his eyes.

"Really?" Instead of answering him with words, she bit her lips together and put her hand in front of them, her thumb and forefinger half and inch from touching.

"Oh."

"We can work on it," she stated, resting her head on his shoulder. He really was pretty warm. Was it a firebender thing?

"Yeah, sure," he muttered. They lapsed into a comfortable silence as he held her close with one arm, the other playing with the tips of her brown hair.

"Did you mean it?" she asked a few moments later.

"Mean what?"

"That you think of us as friends?"

"The group, or just us?"

"Both."

It was quiet for a moment and Katara raised her head to look up at Zuko. His eyes had a faraway glaze and he didn't seem to to notice her staring at him.

"Definitely. Sokka is a total dunce, Toph a know-it-all, Suki a pushover when she isn't fighting and Aang is more of an airhead than the Avatar, but yes. I've never had anyone who I could talk to, or just listen to. Aside from Uncle, no one really ever paid much attention to me. Even my own crew disliked me. Thought I was far too young to be their leader and it showed. They were right, of course, but it still hurt. I bet you wouldn't believe me when I told you that I only knew two other people my age growing up. And they were both Azula's friends. Mai and Ty Lee."

"Seriously? You only knew Acrobat Girl and Miss Doom-and-Gloom?"

"Pretty much," he chuckled, still playing with the ends of her hair.

_How lonely that must have been. I mean, Sokka and I were the only ones our age in the tribe, but at least we had each other. Zuko had his crazy sister and those two weirdos growing up. How terrible._

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be," he shrugged, the arm around her shoulders lifting slightly and allowing a breeze. She shivered and moved closer, silently thanking him when he tightened his grasp on her.

"What about me?"

"What do you mean?" He asked, looking down into her eyes for the first time in nearly quarter of an hour. He looked pretty confused and she barely managed to not rolling her eyes.

"You mentioned Sokka, Suki, Toph, and Aang, but not me," she huffed irritably. He seemed to pale before turning to think about his response.

"Bossy," he finally said.

"Why does everybody say that?" She cried indignantly, crossing her arms below her bust as she pouted.

"Cause it's true. You are always telling people what to do- even your own father. You're also a bit of a pragmatist and tend to drown people in your way of doing things. It's not a bad thing. It makes you motherly to the others, who kind of need it. But, you can really take it over the top sometimes. But, it makes you unique. Sensible and responsible."  
Katara only huffed, curling into her lap slightly. However, his arm tightened around her shoulder and he leaned down to look into her face.

"You're also sweet and kind. You care about _everyone_- even though you really shouldn't. You are the glue to the group, keeping everyone together through any and all situations. You more often than not keep an open mind to things, and you are not afraid to do the right thing."

"You're just saying that so I'll be nice to you."

"No, Katara. I'm not. It may come as a shock, but the Fire Nation is not full of monsters like my father and Azula. We believe that lying is a stain on our honor. And you already know how we can be about that," he muttered, brushing some of her hair from her face.

"No kidding," she smirked, poking his side lightly with her fingertip. He twitched, but didn't pull away.

"In any case. It's all true. Just ask anyone who knows you, they can tell you." She didn't reply, instead nodded her head and rested it against his shoulder again.

"Zuko?"

"Yes?"

"I forgive you. You have proven that you are trust worthy more times than I can count. You even helped free my father from prison. I really have no right not to trust you. I don't know if I can right now, though. I want to, but- well, I just need some time. I promise, one day I will trust you again."

"I know."

The sat in companionable silence for a while, just enjoying each others company.

* * *

"So! You two work things out?"

"Yes, Sokka. We did," Katara grumbled at her brother, but she gave the prince a warm smile. Together, they took their seats around the fire.

"Great, Katara!" Aang smiled. "I knew you would."

"Thank you, Aang." From his shoulder Momo chirruped anxiously, eyeing the bowl of mostly finished fruit they had returned with. Rolling his eyes, Zuko proffered the bowl to the lemur and ran his warm hands down its back while it gorged itself.

"Good to hear," Hakoda replied, resting his hand on Katara's shoulder and giving her a warm, proud smile. She returned it, but from the corner of her eye she could see Zuko shift and look away. A twinge of guilt wracked her as she thought to how he had claimed his father to be a monster. He had said it so matter-of-factly that she didn't really even think about it. The poor guy.

"So does this mean you two won't be fighting anymore?" The Duke asked hopefully.

"Well," Katara admitted, looking back to Zuko. A hard light entered his eyes at her hesitation. "I wouldn't say we will stop. I mean, we do have to keep our skills up and sparring is the best way to do that. Besides, I could always use a good argument." She smiled sweetly at Zuko, a triumphant smirk hidden beneath it. She knew he saw it when he rolled his eyes and smirked back.

"Hey! You can argue with me!" Sokka cried, indignantly.

"No, I just tell you what to do and you do it."

"I do not!"

"Be quiet."

"Fine," he grumbled, crossing his arms and turning away from her. "Hey!" he shouted when it sank in. Everyone laughed, watching him sputter with irritation at her accomplishment.

"Good one, Sweetness," Toph snorted, punching Sokka in the arm.

"Why, thank you."

"Alright. I think it is time we all go to bed," Hakoda chuckled, raising his hands in a placating manner, crossing his arms sternly when they all groaned. Chit Sang chuckled and yawned loudly, Zuko mirroring him. It was pretty normal for the firebenders to rapidly diminish in their coherence once the sun went down. Something Sokka and Toph constantly teased them about. Er, well, teased Zuko about.

"I agree," she piped up, acquiescing to her father's pleading look for help. The group groaned again, but begrudgingly stood from around the fire and made of to their rooms. When it was just her and Zuko, Katara gathered the dishes and dredged them over to the fountain to clean them.

"I'll help."

"You don't have to," Katara muttered, smiling warmly at the yawning Zuko. He often passed out around this time of night. It was pretty usual for them to wake him from whatever perch he had found so they could send him to bed.

"I want to," he shrugged, sitting down to make for a bowl.

"It's actually pretty easy for me. And it's faster if I use my bending." With a few twirls of her wrist, she swirled the water around the lot of dishes and bent the water in a furious churning of dishes, food and water. After a moment, she bent the dirty water over the edge of the balcony. "See?"

"Yeah, yeah, Show Off."

Katara humphed and pulled the bowls and utensils from the fountain. She wasn't in the least surprised to find that Zuko reached his hands in to help.

"All finished. Time for bed."

"Yeah, ok."

"Good night, Zuko," she said, softly running her fingers from his elbow to his shoulder as she stood up.

"Good night, Katara," he yawned, his eyes drooping.

She smiled, grabbing his elbow and pulled. He yelped in surprise at her hauling him to his feet.

"Ok, ok. I'm up, Bossy." Katara didn't respond to his taunt, instead dragging him off towards his room. The halls were quiet now. Even though it hadn't been very long since everyone had left for bed, they were dark and the air felt hushed. Strips of pale moonlight drifted though the broken walls and windows, illuminating the way just enough that they didn't need to light a torch. Or Zuko's hand. Katara almost snorted at the thought. She was kind of envious of always being able to have light with you. Though, she imagined that it could get pretty hard to keep it going for long periods of time. Maybe now that they were friendly she could ask him about it.

Zuko stumbled a bit, obviously tiered from the day. She herself was feeling the effects of their fight earlier. She figured that having lost his cool and almost setting himself completely on fire would take quite the toll on him.

"Here we are. Your room," she grunted, pushing the prince through the door towards his bed. Instead of catching his balance, he simply let himself tumble onto the mattress, burying his face in his pillow.

"Are you ok?" she asked, sitting next to him, rubbing his shoulders. He simply groaned and kicked his shoes- boots- off before rolling over and draping an arm over his face.

"Thanks," he breathed.

"You're welcome."

After a moment of debating, she finally asked him if he would spar with her the next day. It took him a few moments, but his dozing mind pulled itself free of his dreams long enough to figure out her question.

"Sure. After Aang," he mumbled.

"Zuko?"

"Hmm?"

"I trust you." She felt his hand on hers, squeezing it tight. His eyes were glazed with exhaustion, but they were still sharp enough to express his gratitude.

"Thank you, Katara." She simply smiled, placing a small kiss to his unscarred cheek.

"Night, Zuko," she whispered from the doorway.

"Night, Katara," she heard before leaving. She didn't see him caress the spot where she had kissed him.

To think, this morning she could barely stand to be near him. But, now? Now they were friends and she actually trusted him. Not completely. No, he still had to earn that. But, she had a feeling it wouldn't take long. And she looked forward to the day when the war was over and they could be best of friends. If not family. Like Aang, Toph, Suki, and Sokka were to her. Perhaps more?

_Yep, this had been one weird day,_ she thought to herself as she rested her head on the pillow to go to sleep. _But, tomorrow will be better._

She fell asleep with a smile on her face.

* * *

_A/N: Well there you have it. I personally think it feels a bit rushed, but I couldn't think of a way to fix it. As for Zuko's jokes, I thought they were funny. Besides, I'm a very humorous person. Just ask my brother, he thinks I'm a dirty comic. Anyway, it always pissed me off how Katara never had to fess up to the fact that she is the reason Azula figured out Zuko and Iroh were in Ba Sing Se. Though I admit, I didn't think of it until I read a oneshot by Sharkflip (Kudos to them!), and although I love the story, I doubt they would have sex right after it. Besides, where would the fun be if they didnt scream at each other and proved Zuko is a bad ass firebender?_

_Well I hope you liked it. Please leave a review, they make me write more -^_^-_


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